MMB Chapter 1523 Serious
Chapter 1523 Serious
Chapter 1523 Serious
Kim Min-joo was a timid and shy girl by nature. She was not used to being surrounded by people and subconsciously wanted to dodge and refuse.
But girls are all vain after all.
Since joining PRODUCE 48, she has never had a smooth day, and has accumulated a lot of negative emotions in her heart over the past few days.
Surrounded by everyone, being questioned like a star, the long-lost sense of being the center of attention made her feel a little proud, and she swallowed back the words she originally wanted to say.
She nodded calmly, her voice soft: "Yes, I signed a contract after the audition. We were chosen as the female lead for two music videos that time, and I starred in 'Music Box'."
"Wow~"
"Aigoo!"
"I heard that a lot of people went at the time, so it must have been really amazing to be selected!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a chorus of exclamations and admiration erupted around him. The girls chattered excitedly, their eyes filled with envy.
During the closed and monotonous days of intensive training, there were only high-intensity rehearsals and intense competitive pressure every day. The few pastimes these teenage and twenty-year-old girls had were to get together and chat and gossip in their spare time.
The main subject of gossip is naturally Ji Kyung-won... He is a mentor on the show. Among the mentors on the show, the others either don't have much to talk about, or the women are fierce.
...As for Lee Hong-ki, although he dressed quite flamboyantly, nobody really paid attention to him.
Only Chi King-yuen is completely different.
During the first recording, everyone felt the aura of a top idol and the impact of a 'visual miracle'.
For many girls of this age who dream of stardom, there is simply no resistance to such a handsome guy who is both a senior and a top idol.
After moving into the dormitory privately, many people would talk about Ji Kyung-won from time to time.
"I should have gone too..."
Beside them, Ahn Yoo-jin and Jang Won-young squeezed at the back of the crowd, listening to the praise and whispering among themselves.
She watched both of Ji Kyung-won's music videos, whether it was Yoo Jimin in "I Loved" or Kim Min-joo in "Music Box," to be honest, neither of them were significantly more attractive than her.
If I had tried back then, I might have been selected.
The crowd's questions continued:
"I heard the entire music video was filmed in LA, is that true?"
"I watched Yuan's personal documentary. Is it true that his villa was extremely luxurious?"
"Is that villa really as big and luxurious as it appears in the documentary?"
"Is the senior really from a chaebol family? Is everything circulating online true?"
A younger trainee asked out of curiosity, but before he could finish speaking, a trainee who knew the situation chimed in, "EXO has been around for so many years, Yuan's background has been thoroughly investigated online, so why ask? He's from a completely aristocratic background."
Countless eyes were focused on Kim Min-joo, awaiting her answer.
Faced with the questions around her, Kim Min-joo was momentarily speechless. After thinking for a moment, and under the intense gazes of the crowd, she could only weakly reply: "Yes, it was indeed filmed at a private villa in LA."
"As for whether it's big or not..."
She recalled the filming location from several months ago with a hint of dazedness in her eyes: "Yes, I felt it was incredibly big, with a swimming pool, tennis courts, gardens, and even a movie theater..."
“I also watched that documentary, and I feel that... the villas in real life are much more luxurious than those shown in the documentary.”
"Aigoo!!"
"Really?"
“I saw on a show that it’s the villa that Kim Tan had in ‘The Heirs’, and it’s worth at least several hundred billion Korean won.”
Every word she uttered elicited gasps of admiration from those around her. The young girls made no attempt to hide their envy and anticipation, openly and frankly expressing their longings.
Ahn Yoo-jin and Jang Won-young watched intently, their eyes shining brightly.
Young people's thoughts are always simple and pure. They don't delve into the huge gap in family background. They only subconsciously focus on the dazzling halo of "top idols" and "top seniors".
A certain expectation will subconsciously arise in my heart, as if as long as I work hard enough and perform well, perhaps one day I will also have such an opportunity to stand on a higher stage and meet more dazzling people and things.
Sometimes innocent children don't think that much. They subconsciously ignore family reasons and value Ji Kyung-won's status as a "top idol." When they hear what Kim Min-joo said, they subconsciously feel that if they work hard, they might be able to achieve the same.
"I stayed there for about a week. I filmed during the day, and there wasn't much to do at night..."
Kim Min-joo continued to recall softly, her tone tinged with reminiscence: "The production team and I all stayed in one room on the second floor. There were so many guest rooms... Sometimes after work in the evening, we would have parties, barbecues, games, and stuff like that. My senior's villa was also very close to the beach, with a sea view. I remember him saying that their yacht was docked at the pier, but I didn't have a chance to go there those few days..."
LA, villa, ocean view, party, barbecue pool...
These few keywords alone are enough to completely captivate the trainees who are stuck in the training camp and rehearsing hard every day.
Ahn Yoo-jin was incredibly envious.
"Aigoo, that's great!"
"This isn't work, it's clearly a vacation."
Do you have any photos? Do you have any photos?
"photo……"
Upon hearing the question, Kim Min-joo nodded reflexively, then reached into his pocket and chuckled sheepishly, "I did take some photos, but I don't have a phone."
Once inside the dormitory, there's a strict rule: no cell phones allowed… Of course, rules are rules, and it's impossible to completely ban and restrict them.
No, Kim Min-joo is no longer around.
"Ah, what a pity!"
"I really want to see it."
"Next time you get a phone, show it to us, Minju-ni~"
"However, Min-joo unnie, you and Kyung-won sunbaenim have lived together for so long, you must have talked a lot and become quite familiar with each other, right?"
Just then, Zhang Yuanying quietly squeezed to the front of the crowd, her round eyes wide open.
"Forehead……"
Upon hearing the question, Kim Min-joo paused, opened her mouth, and looked somewhat embarrassed.
It would be a bit embarrassing to say we're not familiar with each other.
We're not really that close... though.
We've been together for quite a while, but...
She was alone at the time, with her agent watching over her, and she seemed a little shy.
Even if she wanted to approach him and get to know him better, there was this shameless, big-breasted girl who was like a vixen clinging to Chi Jingyuan every day during that time. Every time she tried to make a move, the vixen would always be there to block her way, making it impossible for her to get close.
Thinking back to how Yoo Ji-min used to swagger around next to Chi Kyung-won every day with a bunch of big bears on her head, Kim Min-joo couldn't help but curse inwardly.
How shameless!
…………
Time flies, and it's already August 18th.
Ji Kyung-won visited the CJ E&M production center in Ilsan once again.
In the backstage lounge, the mentors had already arrived. They greeted Chi Jingyuan with smiles, and after Chi Jingyuan sat down, the group chatted casually.
To Ji Kyung-won's surprise, the mentors of PD48 had also seen his promotional material for "The Spy" over the past two days. After seeing him, they jokingly said that they would definitely watch it on time. Lee Hong-ki even said that he had already subscribed to Netflix for half a year.
With his colleagues being so enthusiastic, Chi Jingyuan could only laugh and thank them.
...However, it seems that the publicity efforts over the past two days have been quite effective.
After a brief chat, the production team officially began the recording debriefing and the day's work meeting.
Hosted by Ahn Joon-young, the recording of the last episode was summarized as follows: "The recording process of the last episode went smoothly and successfully. The trainees' performance and the camera rhythm were basically up to standard, and there were no major mistakes."
Then the tone shifted: "But the distribution of screen time was severely uneven. Some trainees had no highlights, no screen time, and no performance throughout the entire process, becoming nothing more than background figures."
Although he made it sound a bit serious, judging from his tone, he didn't seem to care that much.
Looking at the expressions of the other producers next to me, they all seemed to be the same.
Chi Jingyuan was also aware that this was a normal phenomenon in the recording of the show. Talent shows focus on highlights and topics. Trainees without outstanding qualities or memorable moments cannot carry the camera and will naturally be downplayed.
To become an idol, you really need to be able to grab people's attention.
"...In subsequent recordings, the production team will focus on promoting core trainees who generate high buzz and are interesting to watch, thereby enhancing the show's appeal."
"Other aspects are generally good, but there's still a lack of hype..."
Ahn Joon-young said a lot, mainly focusing on the performance of 'Miyawaki Sakura', a big gimmick deliberately set up by the production team during the first recording. After watching the edited version, the production team felt that it wasn't very exciting.
After reviewing past issues, An Junying began to plan the recording tasks for the day.
Today's recording mainly involved group teaching, with all the instructors working in groups to guide the students in refining the vocals and dance for the main track "It's Mine".
Chi Kyung-won was assigned to the vocal music class in Class B and the dance class in Class D.
The program originally assigned instructors to Class A and Class B, with Class A having the strongest skills and Class B focusing more on training high-performing trainees.
However, after looking at it, Chi Jingyuan still chose a slightly worse class. "If the students who got A grades are so good, there's no point in teaching them."
The production team didn't insist. After assigning the shifts, Ahn Joon-young went over the key points of the filming:
"The recording prioritizes visual appeal over instruction."
After all, it's a variety show, and the main purpose is to record the program.
After the trainees were divided into classes, they had been practicing this song for several days. In fact, no one really expected the mentors to teach them with great care, or that the trainees could make rapid progress in a short period of time.
The main focus is on recording the show, making sure it's effective and showcases the key trainees. From the production team's perspective, coaching is secondary...
As for guidance and progress... it mainly depends on the mentor and the trainee's efforts.
……
Inside Class B's practice room, a group of girls stood upright, their expressions tense yet expectant.
A group of girls looked nervously at the door. Zhang Yuanying stood in the middle of the group, looking very expectant. The cameramen and photographers had already come in and were in position, clearly ready to start filming.
I hope it's Kyungwon oppa~
I've been thinking about it constantly.
If Chi Kyung-won teaches them, they'll definitely get the most screen time. Who wouldn't want screen time on this show?
And putting everything else aside, just being able to film with such a handsome senior actor makes you feel much better, right?
If you're in a good mood, won't your performance naturally improve?
As the time drew near and she sensed footsteps approaching outside, Zhang Yuanying stared at the doorway, her eyes instantly lighting up, and a sweet smile unconsciously spreading across her lips.
The next second, the door was pushed open...
Pei Yunzhen walked in with a serious expression and a sharp aura.
The most serious and stern black-faced woman!
Zhang Yuanying's smile froze instantly, the light in her eyes dimmed in an instant, and then she realized what had happened. She quickly composed herself, her smile faded, she lowered her eyes, straightened her posture, and became very cautious.
Inside, he was screaming in despair.
Where did my oppa go?
Where did my oppa go?
……
Meanwhile, on the other side, in the D class practice room.
The moment Chi Jingyuan appeared at the door, the entire practice room lit up instantly.
"Annyeonghaseyo~"
The previously somewhat dull and oppressive atmosphere vanished instantly. The eyes of the dozen or so trainees suddenly lit up, their expressions filled with surprise and excitement. They bowed in unison, their voices clear and resonant.
"Ah, twist~"
Chi Jingyuan walked in briskly, nodding as he greeted everyone.
He was dressed in a relatively casual style today, a logo t-shirt and jeans, but the simpler the outfit, the more impactful it was when Chi Kyung-won stood in front of a group of girls.
Chi Jingyuan nodded, greeted them, and then glanced at the group of children in front of him.
Class D has about seventeen or eighteen people in total. Looking at them, more than half of them are trainees from Japan. The other trainees from the peninsula didn't have particularly outstanding stage performances during their initial evaluations. Neither their skills nor their appearance were particularly outstanding.
The only one who stood out at first glance was Kim Min-joo, who was standing in the second row.
At this moment, all of the dozen or so people in the practice room were dressed uniformly in dark green, with a large 'D' on their clothes in addition to their names. The somber color scheme gave them a gloomy appearance.
Group D is already the second worst group after Group F. Those in this group either have nothing to offer or are simply not strong enough.
However, the trainees' expressions were very enthusiastic when they saw Chi Jingyuan, and their originally gloomy mood was swept away, filled with surprise and relief.
I thought Group D wouldn't get much screen time, but I didn't expect that Ji Kyung-won would be the mentor!
"You look pretty energetic. You've been practicing, haven't you?" Chi Jingyuan said with a light laugh.
"Inside"
"Time is tight, so I won't exchange any more pleasantries."
Chi Jingyuan raised his hand to signal, without saying much: "Everyone, please dance the title track once in its entirety first, and I'll check your overall performance."
Music started playing in response.
More than a dozen figures started moving at the same time, but... their coordination was uneven and full of flaws.
Most Japanese trainees are unfamiliar with the rhythm of K-pop dance, their movements are chaotic and disorderly, and they frequently make mistakes such as misalignment, rushing the beat, and missing moves.
Moreover, his overall gait was unsteady and his center of gravity was unstable, making him look very weak.
The situation on the peninsula is only slightly better, but it's still just average...
The entire dance was performed, but the overall effect was loose, messy, and lacked any highlights.
As the music ended, everyone quickly returned to their positions, all looking up at Chi Jingyuan with a hint of apprehensive anticipation in their eyes, awaiting the mentor's comments.
Chi Jingyuan crossed his arms, his expression having lost its previous gentleness. His slightly darkened face made the group of female trainees' hearts pound, and they didn't dare to breathe.
Have you ever seen someone jump by themselves?
He scanned the group with a somewhat serious look in his eyes:
"To be honest, you guys aren't up to par right now."